In reflecting on my use of a variety of social media, I have come to the conclusion that there are some “rules of the road” that contribute to a positive experience on social media, no matter which platform you are using.

Untitled-18_(2)[1]

Here are Joyce’s Social Media Rules of the Road:

  1. Be yourself. Although the nature of your remarks might vary a bit among social media platforms, keep a consistent persona. Doing so will make people more apt to reach out to you and to trust you.
  2. Take the high road when posting. Keep in mind that at some level, everything you post on social media can be tracked down later. If tempted to post when in state of high emotions,  consider sending  the post as an email to yourself and wait 24 hours. At that point, you might decide to go ahead and post. Then again, you might see the wisdom of holding your tongue.
  3. Choose your friends carefully. Just because someone wants to be your friend on Facebook, connect with you on LinkedIn, or follows you on Pinterest or Twitter, doesn’t mean you should reach back to them. For better or worse, we are judged by the company we keep.
  4. Share helpful information you gain from your connections. Don’t make your social media postings all about you. The more you offer wisdom gleaned from others, along with your own observations, the more your followers will see you as credible and worth following.
  5. Participate. Remember the SOCIAL in social media. Comment on postings on Facebook,  get active in a group on LinkedIn, comment on a pin on Pinterest, and/or jump into an interchange on Twitter. Start small with just one social media platform and then gradually participate in others, as appropriate. It is OK to mostly “lurk” about the site, yet part of the fun of social media is jumping into the conversation.

What rules of the road would you add to this list? I always like to hear the social media principles that my readers are living by.

joycefeustel_1334461223_600[1]

Joyce Feustel, Founder of Boomers’ Social Media Tutor, helps people relatively new to social media to become more effective and comfortable in their use of this medium. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com